The Things We Know
by MollyCarpenter
Summary: Sending Cas off on a date is amusing for Dean. For Jensen, watching Misha get out of the car brings up a realization.


"This is crap," Jensen announced. He threw the draft script towards the coffee table, snidely pleased when it missed and tumbled to the floor, pages fluttering. He slumped back onto the couch and draped his arm over his eyes.

"What's crap?" Jared said patiently, from his overstuffed chair. Genevieve had gone to bed most of an hour earlier, claiming she was bored listening to them picking over their new scripts; Jensen thought it was an attempt to give them some "boy time". It wasn't that he didn't like Genevieve, but he did appreciate it when he got to spend some time with Jay that was not on set. Even if what they were doing was work-related.

"This script," Jensen said. "I mean...leaving aside the whole Ezekiel thing, which I can kind of, sort of see Dean doing. We know he's pathological about Sam, this is just one more manifestation of that."

"So what's the problem?" Jared asked. From the sound of his voice Jensen could tell he was smiling.

"Making Cas leave, fine. Even not telling him why, maybe, if he thought Cas would find some way to tell Sam about Zeke. But sending him out with no money, no help, not even knowing where he was going? No, I'm sorry, this is all wrong. I can't play this, Jay, it just doesn't work."

Nine years in, smiling wasn't the only thing Jensen could hear in Jared's voice, and this tone was Jay rolling his eyes. "You'll make it work. You always do."

Without removing his arm Jensen lifted his other hand to flip the bird. Jared laughed and threw a pillow at him.

* * *

Jensen was deep in thought as he stepped out of his trailer, which was why he didn't notice the other person until they were actually colliding.

They bounced off each other, Jensen back into the door, slamming it closed under his weight, and the other actually fell with a startled yelp. Jensen had about half a second to catch his breath before, sounding winded but still cheerful, Misha said, "Not exactly the hello I was expecting, but I guess it'll do."

"Oh, shit," Jensen said. He resisted the urge to cover his face with his hands and instead took a step forward and reached down to help his fallen coworker up. "I'm sorry. I didn't see you coming."

"Clearly," Misha said, and grabbed Jensen's hand, hauling himself to his feet. He wasn't in street clothes, but it still jarred Jensen that "Castiel" didn't mean "suit and coat" anymore and he took a moment to take in Misha's outfit, which included an incredibly dorky blue uniform vest and a nametag.

"Why Steve?" Jensen asked, without really thinking about it.

Misha blinked at him and then glanced down at his own chest. "Uh...one of the writers likes Captain America? Dunno."

"Captain America is weak. You should come up with Cas's reason," Jensen said, smiling.

Misha could look skeptical better than anyone else Jensen had ever met, and he did so for a moment and then schooled his face down into Castiel's trademark Serious Business expression. "Steven sounds a great deal like an Enochian word meaning _winged_," he said gravely in Castiel's rough voice. "I thought it was fitting. And I am a great admirer of Steve Nicks."

It was Jensen's turn to stare, and then he started giggling. Misha held out for a slow count of three before he broke and laughed, which was reasonably impressive for when he wasn't on camera, and that just made Jensen worse until they were both leaning against the trailer, laughing too hard to stand up straight.

"Steve Nicks...Stevie...hoo boy...Cas likes _Fleetwood Mac?_" Jensen demanded when he could breathe, and Misha, who had begun to wind down, went off again.

"Yes," he gasped, nodding. "Loves them. His favorite...favorite song...is 'Tusk'-!"

At that Jensen had to sit down.

* * *

"I wouldn't be much use," Misha said. "I don't have my powers."

Jensen could hear the pain it cost Castiel to say that. Dean could too, but he didn't know what it meant so it just made him nervous. "So what? I've never had powers," he said with false heartiness.

"You are a hunter," Castiel said, carefully not looking at Dean.

"Yeah, and you're a hunter in training, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember. You said I sucked." As always, it was hilarious listening to Castiel try to use slang, but Dean didn't have time for that.

"I didn't say that," he protested, even though he was pretty sure he had. "I said there was, uh, room for improvement. Come on."

"OK, cut," Rob said. Jensen and Misha slumped. This was the seventh go-round on trying to get Jensen's coverage and they were both starting to loathe the dialogue. "Jensen, I need you to be a little more up for this. You're not supposed to be apologizing to him."

"Yeah, I really kind of am. This is-" He cut himself off. They were filming; it was not the time to be expressing his creative reservations. He'd done that, the writers hadn't listened, that was the end of it. "Right, sorry. Sure, let's do this."

"Take it from the phone call," Rob said.

* * *

The next night, they sat in the Impala. It was one of the ones that actually drove, which was cool; very few things made Jensen feel more like Dean than driving the Impala.

But he was having a hell of a time focusing, and he couldn't figure out why. It was a cute scene, sending Cas off to a date (even though it wasn't a date), and Jensen usually loved the bits where he got to do something that wasn't Saving People, Hunting Things, the bits where it was obvious that Dean was a real person. He didn't get why this was different.

"Always open the door for her, OK? Ask a lot of questions, they like that." Jensen had to roll his eyes at that, Dean Winchester trying to give dating advice, but there had at least been the time with Lisa, when he'd managed to pick up half a clue. "And, uh, if she says she's happy to go Dutch, she's lying. All right?"

Misha nodded, managing to convey that Castiel didn't understand in the least what Dean meant by 'go Dutch'. Dean missed it, because Dean wasn't the world's most perceptive guy, but Jensen thought it was a nice touch. He slapped Misha's chest, an impulsive man-to-man gesture he hadn't used in the rehearsal takes, and said, "Go get 'em, tiger."

Jensen watched as Misha climbed out of the car, trying to make sure his expression fell closer to proud parent than wistful unrequited...holy shit.

Fortunately, that was the end of the take.

* * *

Technically he had several days; Cas was a big part of the episode and Misha was in Vancouver for the week. But it had taken Jensen long enough to realize what was going on, and he just didn't feel like waiting any more. So he rushed through getting out of costume and makeup and set out for Misha's trailer as close to a run as he thought he could get away with.

He was lifting his hand to knock when the door burst open and Misha came tumbling out. Jensen had just enough time for a glimpse of one of the more improbably sweaters before they hit, only this time it was Misha who rebounded into the trailer's side and Jensen who overbalanced and fell.

The shock passed quickly and Jensen looked up to meet Misha's eyes. "Not exactly the hello I was expecting," he said, trying to ignore the shocking blue of them for just a little while longer. Misha's lips twitched but he sounded serious enough when he said, "Please tell me you were coming to talk to me and not just passing by." He extended a hand and Jensen took it, wondering in passing if this counted as _déjà vu_.

"I was coming to talk to you," he said. "But maybe not out here?"

Misha's eyebrows went up and he cocked his head a little; Jensen couldn't say whether that had been one of his mannerisms all along or if it was something of Castiel that had started to stick. "I'm intrigued," Misha said. "And a little nervous, but mostly intrigued." He waved a hand at the trailer door.

"I was kind of hoping you might want to come over to my place," Jensen said. He wasn't nervous, exactly-he knew Misha more than well enough to realize that, whatever else happened, he wasn't going to be insulted-but he was pretty sure he didn't want to have this conversation in semi-public, which their trailers counted as.

"OK, intrigued is winning," Misha said. "I drove today, let's just take the one car."

* * *

When they were settled, drinks in hand, Jensen said, "OK, look, I can't come up with a way to put this that doesn't make me sound like a fourteen-year-old with a crush."

Misha shrugged. "We're both a little old for crushes." He took a contemplative sip of his soda. "That doesn't seem to be stopping me, though."

Jensen decided that maybe he had been a little nervous after all, because the rush of relief was almost enough to make him lightheaded. "You too, huh?"

"I guess I'm better at subtle than I thought," Misha said. "Been channelling it into the patented intense angel eye contact."

"Well I know why I didn't say anything," Jensen said.

"Yeah?"

"Because apparently I've been getting a little too in touch with my inner Dean," Jensen said, and shrugged in turn. "I had no clue."

Misha blinked at him, appearing to be honestly surprised, and Jensen went on, "No, really. It was...you were getting out of the car when we did that first real take of the pre-date conversation, and I realized it was tough not to look jealous, and I know what the fans all think but Dean really doesn't think about Cas that way. So it had to be me."

"Only half the fans, the rest of them think Dean and Sam are together," Misha said.

"Misha," Jensen said.

"No, sorry, I digress, you know this about me. So what you're saying is that you've been into me for a while but you only just figured it out."

"I haven't been into anyone in way longer than I like to think about," Jensen said, just to watch Misha chuckle. It was too bad Cas didn't get to smile or laugh more often, because it did great things for his face. "But yeah. I figured you ought to know, whether you were interested or not."

Misha nodded thoughtfully, tapping his fingernails on his glass in a slow rhythm. "So if you're into me, and I'm into you, that only leaves one question," he said. Jensen raised his eyebrows expectantly.

"What are we still doing out here?"

* * *

Jensen thought later that it should have occurred to him that Misha would be a really, really good kisser.


End file.
